The inquest into the Manchester attack began with a minute’s silence to pay respect to the victims.
Composite: Various

The force of the bomb detonated in the Manchester Arena last month was strong enough to kill people at least 20 metres from the blast, an inquest has heard.

Most of the 22 people murdered when Salman Abedi detonated his rucksack bomb were standing near him in the middle of a foyer at the concert venue where the American singer Ariana Grande had played, a court in Manchester heard.

But others – including the oldest victim, 51-year-old school receptionist Jane Tweddle – had almost left the arena and were on their way out when Abedi blew himself up using a device packed with bolts and other metal objects.

Jane Tweddle had almost left the arena when Salman Abedi detonated the bomb. Photograph: Handout

The bomb was “designed to kill and maim indiscriminately the largest number of innocent people”, according to Greater Manchester police’s senior identification manager for the incident.

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Those killed were initially identified by their dental records, fingerprints and DNA, DS Jonathan Chadwick told the inquests on Friday.

Their identities were then confirmed by other identifying features such as birthmarks, as well as watches, bank cards and distinctive clothing. Elaine McIver, 43, a police officer from Cheshire, who died from chest injuries, was carrying her police warrant card, the court heard.

The details emerged at the opening of inquests into the victims of the attack.

Unusually, the hearing began with a minute’s silence, led by Manchester’s chief coroner, Nigel Meadows. He also paid tribute to the police, paramedics, emergency services, Arena staff and members of the public who ran to help in what was a “scene of carnage and devastation”.

None of the bereaved families were in court, but the coroner praised them for their “unbelievable dignity” in the face of such tragedy.

The court, sitting at the Manchester civil justice centre, was shown diagrams of the arena, with coloured circles showing where each person died. Abedi was allocated a red dot. His victims, aged from eight to 51, were given pink dots. A circle of pink dots formed a ring around the red, with others scattered in the furthest corners of the foyer.

The inquest heard that at 10.31pm on Monday 22 May, just as Grande had finished her sold-out concert, Abedi, 22, detonated the bomb in the middle of the City Rooms exit, where the main box office is located. This large space, which leads to Victoria station, is 10 metres high, 47 metres long and 34 metres wide.

Giving evidence to the inquest, Chadwick, who led the victim identification process for Greater Manchester police, said 220 people received medical treatment as a result of the bomb.

“Many have life-changing injuries. A small number remain critically injured,” he said. “It appears that the device was designed to kill and maim indiscriminately the largest number of innocent people.”

Nineteen people died at the scene. Three others, including the youngest victim, eight-year-old Saffie Roussos, died in hospital shortly afterwards. Saffie’s mum, Lisa Roussos, 48, and her older sister, Ashlee Bromwich, were also injured by shrapnel, but survived.

Sorrell Leczkowski had just entered the foyer when the bomb went off. Photograph: collect

The inquest took the victims in alphabetical order, starting with Liam Allen-Curry, 19, who died at the arena with his girlfriend, Chloe Rutherford, 17. The couple were from South Shields in Tyneside.

One screen in the court showed where each victim died; another showed a picture of the deceased, chosen by their families. John Atkinson, 28, a support worker for people with special needs, was photographed with his tongue sticking out. He was by the box office when the bomb went off, the inquest heard.

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Dimple-cheeked Sorrell Leczkowski, 14, from Leeds, was pictured smiling broadly, wearing bunny ears. Her mum, Samantha, and grandma, Pauline, were both badly injured in the blast. Sorrell had only just entered the City Room foyers when she was killed, the inquest heard.

Lisa Lees, 43, a beauty therapist from Oldham, was photographed in a mortar board and gown. She died from multiple injuries and was standing to the side of Abedi when he detonated his device. So was Eilidh MacLeod, 14, who was the first victim to be buried last week, near her home on the Scottish island of Barra.

The court heard how all of the bodies were taken from the scene by private ambulance to the mortuary at the Royal Oldham hospital, where initial postmortems could take place.

An identification commission then formally identified each victim, using a protocol established after the Marchioness disaster, a fatal collision between two boats on the Thames in London on 20 August 1989, which resulted in the drowning of 51 people.

The identification process in that tragedy was heavily criticised after it emerged the coroner, Dr Paul Knapman, decided to cut the hands off more than 20 victims for identification purposes. An inquiry later recommended a comprehensive overhaul in how authorities identify bodies after a disaster, to ensure information issued to families was correct and delivered with sensitivity.

All of the inquests were adjourned until 24 November, the coroner said. The delay was due to the ongoing police investigation, which would continue for a considerable period of time, Meadows said.

Chadwick told the inquest that 21 people had been arrested in connection with the investigation, of which18 people were released without charge. He said 32 addresses had been searched and 10 were under police control.